the story behind the featured pictures

It has been 9 weeks since I made an Instagram account (pretty late isn’t it? It was my second account. My first already buried years a go, since I didn’t find anything interesting with it that time). Now I find it very essential to promote my works, and there are many challenges which so so good to keep me shooting (almost) everyday. You should try and join them if you haven’t, because I believe the classic learning quote “practice makes perfect” is 100% true.

It was a big surprise for me when the 54th picture that I posted being featured by @natgeochannel (this account has 156k followers!). Oh wow.. Then it instantly made me addicted. Here are the stories behind the featured images.

The Eiffel Tower, featured by @natgeochannel

One thing I learn when capturing a tower, especially a huge one like this; is the closer you are, the more difficult it would to get a good angle. So make a distance, try to catch some nice foreground (a beautiful spring tree ambiance in mine) and shoot. I took this picture from a tour bus rooftop (it was stopping about couple of minutes at Eiffel bus stop when I took the chance). I putted a vintage filter on it and it just blown my heart away.. So here’s the result.

To be featured by a giant account was away beyond my expectation. I straightly showed it off to my best friends and family and even on social media! (Okay, you can say I was too happy!) It really brighten my days, I feel so good for myself for around a week! LOL
Please do check my set of Paris photos 🙂

A Thankful Boy; featured by @ig_kids
Ehmm.. Not really “featured” actually, but still something that made me proud (please excuse my amateur mindset). It was become a part of the grid on their post for “igk_thankful” assignment, which picked 2 winners for some prizes. I didn’t win, but just being mentioned on their feed could fly me to the moon.

Location : Bidadari Island, Jakarta, Indonesia

I picked this old collection (from about 3,5 years ago) and it was one of my favorite ever, if you can see the beautiful expression of him as I did. The picture taken when we had a short vacation to an island, and that was the first time he wants to clean himself under a shower, and he enjoyed it right away! So it was a thankful moment for both of us. I shot from quite faraway not to ruin the happiness, using my 40-150mm zoom lens.

If you’re a mom (or dad) who really love to shoot your children’s moment as I do, try to join this account. It’s quite a big account with 55k followers so will surely challenging.

With Granny; featured by @cutekidsclub
More or less the same account type as @ig_kids, it has a bigger amount of followers (currently 105k). From what I see, it choose pictures without noticing too many photography techniques, as long as you got the expression or tell a good story through your picture, then you’ll get the chance.

Location : The Green, BSD, South Tangerang, Indonesia.

I started to try my fortune by join a daily challenge for a month (november 2014) without too much expecting. Just by join it and add pictures on my feed daily already pleased me. @cutekidsclub give a different theme each day. And the day came on “grandparents” theme, I have tons of this theme on my hardisk. And I chose this one from this collection because I think it has the best that they want; the expressions and the story.

Walking With The Snow; featured by @beautiful_ig_photos
This account looks like a new one and the followers amounts still below 2000. It’s featuring beautiful pictures without a specific criteria or theme. You can check to their feed and find out what I mean, both style and object of the pictures are just so random. Sounds easier? Well, challenge still means challenge.. You’ll never know before you try it.

Location : Virginia Water, Surrey, Great Britain.

I took this picture at winter 2012 which it was quite snowy in the UK. My son’s teacher called me to collect the boy earlier that day during the heavy snow. I asked my dad (who was visiting us) to come with me. It was his very first snow experience, both of us were happy (I could play with the camera while he mind the boy! Ahaa..) Thank you, Pak!
Here are some pictures that I really heart from that day. I picked one for @natgeochannel weekly assignment and I added some other hashtags which I think related to it, including #beautiful_ig_photos of course. And tadaaa.. 5 days later it surprisingly featured on their feed. Felt so blessed!

What about you? Do you have any similar experience? Please share it here!